Dear Firebug: Knock it off, Flint's firefighters don't need you

To the person or persons systematically setting fire to Flint to make a point about the city laying off firefighters:

Stop it. Stop it now. You hear me? Stop it this instant.

I don’t know who you are. I don’t know who, if anybody, put you up to it. But you are hurting the city, and believe it or not, you are not helping firefighters.

Firefighters, after all, have to fight the fires you set. They battled eight blazes last week just minutes after Mayor Walling’s budget cuts laying off 23 firefighters took effect. Then, last weekend, there were three more, all in vacant homes. Who knows if we’ve seen the end of the fires or not? Another weekend looms.

So far we’ve been lucky. Three firefighters have been injured, but no one has died yet. But it could happen. So, stop. Before the worst happens.

Like I say, you’re not doing firefighters any favors, if in fact that’s your aim.

That’s the problem here. No one for sure knows exactly what’s behind this. For all we know, you and others could simply be having a bit of twisted fun, using the budget battle between the firefighters and City Hall as an excuse.

The prevailing view at City Hall, however, seems to be that you are someone somehow associated with the firefighters.

Public Safety Director Alvern Lock said, “I think it’s someone that has knowledge of what they’re doing, and I’ll leave it at that. You can read between the lines.”

Mayor Walling said, “This is a series of coordinated criminal attacks that are designed to scare the residents of this city (to serve a) perverted political purpose.”

But I think they’re wrong. I refuse to believe you’re a firefighter or that you were even put up to this by firefighters. I’ve known Flint firefighters over the years. They are honorable, brave people doing a tough job for not nearly enough money. I don’t believe for a second they’re behind this, and that’s the other big reason that whomever is doing it needs to stop.

Your actions are tainting good men and women.

Plus, you are tainting an already tainted city. You’re giving people who live outside of Flint more stones to throw at us. And you’re scaring people who do live here, giving them one more reason to leave.

It comes down to this. I think you’re someone who, in some sick way, thinks he’s striking a blow for firefighters.

But they don’t need your help. Everyone is already on their side, even the mayor. He doesn’t want these cuts. He knows we need more firefighters, not fewer. But he also has a job to do. This is a city that can’t afford credit card spending.

That said, I believe that sooner or later – and probably sooner, from what I’m hearing - Flint will find a way to increase the number of firefighters.